a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an in-the-ear type acoustic device of which a part is adapted to conform to the inner wall of the external acoustic meatus of a person's ear and thus improve comfort, noise quality, and stability within the ear. The invention is applicable to all types of audio devices which use external speakers.
b) Background Art
Earphones and headphones are well known in the prior art as a convenient way of transmitting sound. An earphone generally is a device, which can be removably attached to a user's outer ear and is light and somewhat comfortable. Many earphones include a soft foam portion, which covers part of the device to aid in comfort and stability. Due to the fact that no two peoples' ears are the same, some devices so fitted are now marketed with a plurality of shapes and/or sizes of these foam portions to fit a variety of ear shapes and sizes. Other designs include a portion that is generally shaped to fit partially into the concha of a person's ear and rest against the tragus and/or anti-tragus to maintain stability. Each earphone side portion generally includes a speaker device to provide desired sound to a person's inner ear while blocking unwanted noise through their bulk and design.
Headphones are designed along very similar lines but generally include a band that goes over the head to keep the pair of headphones on a user's head and maintain stability.